In this article we hear from two parishes in the diocese navigating life without an incumbent — and the many challenges it brings — while continuing to grow and flourish.
Trinity Anglican Church, Port Alberni
By Pamela Day
In December 2023, Trinity Anglican Church in the heart of the Alberni Valley faced a defining moment. With the retirement of its long-serving incumbent, the parish stood at a crossroads. The cost of hiring a full-time replacement threatened to overwhelm the parish’s finances. Yet, despite the odds, Trinity chose not to fade away — but to rise.
Trinity is one of the few churches located in downtown Port Alberni, offering regular Sunday worship and services for feast days, weddings, funerals and special events. It also serves as an official emergency gathering centre — a role that underscores its importance to the wider community.
Faced with uncertainty, a dedicated team of parishioners, lay leaders and volunteers stepped forward to ensure the church’s survival. Our efforts were rooted in both faith and practical stewardship, drawing on strengths long nurtured within the congregation.
Key to Trinity’s success was the financial support of loyal parishioners, alongside steadfast backing from the diocese and the Lutheran British Columbia Synod. The parish was also blessed with a growing team of lay ministers — one already serving, and two more in training — supported by skilled volunteers with decades of experience in church leadership, music, administration and building maintenance.
With guidance from Bishop Anna and Jenny Replogle, executive archdeacon, and the help of supply clergy and a part-time interim minister, Trinity maintained its rhythm of worship. Two Sunday services were led by visiting clergy, while lay ministers took responsibility for others — adapting traditions with care.
Outreach continued without pause. The Food Cupboard remained stocked. The Mitten Tree warmed winter months. Fundraisers supported local causes. Carol sings, teas and markets brought people together — testaments to a living, serving church.
Behind the scenes, the administrative burden was immense. Without a full-time priest or paid secretary, volunteers managed everything: service planning, communications, hall rentals, financial reporting and liaison with the diocese and city officials.
It was hard work, but it was also deeply satisfying. And the results speak for themselves.
Over the past two years, attendance at both regular and special services has grown — drawing both parishioners and members of the wider community. Sunday School has expanded. Hall rentals have increased. And, remarkably, the parish has ended each year with a balanced budget — surplus in the black.
What has Trinity learned?
That while many still long for the eucharist every Sunday and clergy-led rites, financial realities require new models. That clergy remain essential spiritual guides, but that lay leadership can carry much of the pastoral and administrative load. That delegation, trust and empowerment are not just practical necessities — but signs of a healthy, mature faith community.
We’ve learned that when people are called to serve, they rise to the task. And we’ve learned we must now prepare the next generation to carry on into the future.
Looking ahead, Trinity embraces the promise of team ministry — a shared model of leadership and resource-sharing across parishes. There is excitement about collaboration, about learning from others and about building something sustainable for the future.
Above all, the people of Trinity give thanks. At a time when many churches face decline, Trinity Anglican Church stands as a quiet beacon: a testament to what faithful people, grounded in tradition and open to change, can accomplish together.
St. Christopher and St. Aidan, Lake Cowichan
By Selinde Krayenhoff
St. Christopher and St. Aidan in Lake Cowichan has been without an incumbent for almost three years now. The parish has come together, as it has had to in the past, to run the church collectively. And things are going well.
Our little parish is growing and has been hard at work, taking care of our buildings and finding fun ways to reach out to the larger community. Last year we put a new roof on the church, refinished our two entrance doors and put in three heat pumps to cut down on heating costs (our third highest budget item).
Cellar Treasures is nestled in the basement of our church hall, a thrift store that has served as a gathering place and a source of affordable household and clothing items for 20 years now. Revenue from the store is donated to various charities in the community, as well as to special church projects, like the new roof.
We like to sing! Our music ministry has grown from one volunteer to a team of six dedicated musicians who are learning together. Once a month we host a karaoke evening. The response has been enthusiastic and donations generous. Various choirs book our church for concerts, which brings in the neighbours. On Christmas Eve 2025, we welcomed in the community for carols and candlelight. Almost seventy folks showed up.
We like to eat! The first Sunday of the month is potluck Sunday. Our attendance goes up that Sunday, people come in off the street, and we enjoy amazing food and conversation together.
We like to connect! On Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025, we invited the members of two churches in Lake Cowichan — Lake Cowichan Christian Fellowship (Pentecostal) and St. Louis De Montfort Catholic Church — to a potluck supper. Forty folks showed up to enjoy good food and conversation. Before dessert was served, one of our members encouraged people to get up and sit beside someone they didn’t know — everyone obliged. The volume went up as people seemed genuinely interested in getting to know someone new. The evening was so successful that it has been proposed that we rotate through the different churches every four months.
We like to worship! Our Sunday attendance has been steadily increasing as people invite friends, family and neighbours to come check us out. We are a community church worshipping in the Anglican tradition.
So, if you are planning to visit Lake Cowichan for a daytrip or a holiday, please come worship with us! We look forward to welcoming you.
